With God on Their Side: Bob Dylan & Pope Leo XIV Commune at the Vatican

This week, Bob Dylan is knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door — well, arguably the closest earthly thing to it — with the folk-rock icon meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday (Nov. 4).

The Catholic headquarters revealed that the two figures had linked up by sharing a photo on Instagram of them shaking hands. With the pope smiling warmly in his usual traditional white robes, Dylan wears a hooded black zip-up underneath a jacket and looks at the Bishop of Rome intently.

“Pope Leo XIV met with American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in a private audience on Wednesday, November 4,” the caption simply reads.

Other snaps from the meetup show the two men in conversation while sitting together at a table and posing together in front of a piece of artwork. Another photo features them standing and talking as Dylan leans against an umbrella.

According to Vatican News, their meeting was “brief, consisting of greetings and a few lighthearted exchanges.” The pope also apparently gifted Dylan a rosary, while the musician returned the favor by giving him a copy of his Chronicles: Volume One memoir.

Pope Leo XIV ascended to the religious institution’s top job in May last year following the death of Pope Francis, becoming the first American-born cardinal to do so. He recently made headlines — and history — by voting via mail-in ballot in the United States midterm elections, which ended with Democrats reclaiming power over both the House of Representatives and Senate.

His meeting with Dylan comes one day ahead of the 10-time Grammy winner’s planned performance at the Palazzo dello Sport, the latest stop on his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour. He’s charted 81 entries on the Billboard 200 over the course of his career, topping the tally five times.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.